CHAPTER 165 : THE LIGHT

Fire erupted from the vampire's skin, consuming him in a blaze.

He had no time to reach for his ring, a scream rippling from his throat as the fire engulfed him alive.

He tried to stop himself from burning by turning around and around, thrashing as if that would help him in any way, but all it did was nothing, his screams faltering and suddenly being replaced by the crackle of his burning flesh.

In an instant, the vampire's body fell to the ground, but the fire didn't stop. It went on, burning and burning until what was left was a pile of ash and charred bone, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

Feeling satisfied with the outcome, the warrior moved on to the next vampire in sight, going for the hand with a ring on it.

Soon, the battlefield was littered with more bodies and blood, the werewolves using all they could, in whatever form, to cut through the hands of the vampires where they had their rings on or to pull it off using their tactics, turning the vampires into burning corpses.

And for a moment it seemed as if they were now having the upper hand with the way vampires gurgled on their own blood before dropping to the ground or caught fire. But the vampires were fast learners, and it wasn't so hard to figure out the werewolves' little trick.

The advantage the werewolves held was starting to slip and it was slipping really fast, especially when an unexpected visitor came, the chilling presence of that visitor rolling over the battlefield.

"He's here," Aiden muttered, their unexpected visitor's arrival not entirely surprising to them.

"I thought he wouldn't come and would have let his minions do all the work for him," Bryan said, his gaze sharp and calculating.

"So we get him then," Ryker added. "We get him and the rest surrender."

"Even if we get him," Aiden stated, his face and body bloody. "There is a high chance the rest won't stop. So brace yourself, because the real fight is about to begin."

"So, all this wasn't the real fight?" Ryker asked, trying to be humorous, knowing fully well what was coming.

"Ryker, please," Bryan chuckled, preparing for more killing. "Let's just get this done with, and we can crack more jokes later."

"Deal," Ryker accepted as they all prepared, cracking their necks and rolling their shoulders as the fighting from the other side of the battlefield slowed, a tall vampire standing in the midst of it all.

Aiden had seen him and intended to attack, but the leader of the vampires, Lord Aleksandra Drakhl moved like a shadow, and it was no surprise to the Alpha twins or Ryker when the bodies of their werewolf warriors started dropping like flies.

One moment, a werewolf warrior was standing; the next moment, his head was separated from his body, blood spraying as it thudded to the ground.

Another warrior lunged at him, but Lord Aleksandra dodged effortlessly, smiling as he enjoyed playing with his soon-to-be dead prey.

After much dodging and watching the warrior run around just to get him, he gripped the warrior's arm, twisted it, and snapped it backward.

Before the warrior could recover from the severe damage and pain, Lord Aleksandra pierced his hand through the warrior's chest and pulled out the warrior's heart in a single savage move.

The tide was shifting again.

"Alphas, we are outnumbered," a warrior shouted loud enough for Bryan and Aiden to hear. "We don't think we will win. I see more coming and we need backup."

But Bryan and Aiden already knew this and whatever backup they would have needed would not be coming in time.

Bryan had already sent out one of his warriors to get backup from another pack, but by the looks of things, Lord Aleksandra might have met with that warrior outside the border and killed him and if not, they would just have to stand their ground, till backup comes.

"I know we are scared," Bryan started, his voice calm and understanding. "And it is okay for warriors to be scared for their lives and most especially for their families, but we can not let the vampires take over everything we have built. We are the strongest pack in the world for a reason and we will protect our land and our families."

"And as your leaders, we will fight for you and we will stand with you," Aiden continued, growling afterward as he prepared for battle. "We won't let them take what's ours, no matter what it takes."

"NOW," his voice boomed across the battlefield. "WHO WILL STAND WITH US?!"

For a moment, it was just silence.

Then, as one, the Crescent pack warriors roared in chorus, straightening and gripping their weapons tighter as they shook off their fear.

Bryan, turning toward the battlefield, inhaled deeply and flexed his muscles as he then screamed...

"CHARGEEEEEE!"

As soon as the order was given, the werewolves surged forward, while across the field, the vampires did the same, their leader watching with a smirk as his army rushed to meet them.

Bodies slammed into each other, claws tearing into flesh.

Blood splattered as some werewolf warriors used their axes to cut off the head of some vampires, bones shattering as another vampire drove his knee into a warrior's stomach, but the warrior retaliated very quickly with a vicious uppercut that sent the vampire sprawling.

Those that had daggers used them properly, same with those with axes and other different weapons, piercing through bodies.

Grunts, snarls, and screams echoed in the battlefield, filling the air.

This was war.

Bodies dropped to the ground, a mix of the werewolves and vampires as the scent of blood wasn't missed.

The werewolves fought fiercely and bravely, but they were losing and at this time, Bryan knew that his messenger never made it to his destination and they wouldn't be having backup. But still, he killed a lot of vampires, him and Aiden, protecting their warriors as much as they could.

On another side of the battlefield, a warrior lunged at a vampire, claws raised, only to be grabbed by the throat and lifted off the ground.

The vampire sneered and muttered something which the warrior didn't quite catch before he crushed the warrior's windpipe, the scrunch sickening, and then tossed the lifeless body aside.

Fangs sank into the necks of warriors but despite their losses, not a single werewolf retreated.

They fought for their land, for their families and for survival-even if it meant dying in the process.

Bryan and Aiden stood their ground, leading their warriors even as exhaustion weighed on them, their bodies bruised, cut and bloodied, but they refused to stop.

The Alpha twins growled so loudly that it sent chills throughout the entire pack, their eyes darkened as they let that dark side take over.

They fought and fought, Aiden going for Lord Aleksandra, but before he could get to him, a blinding light erupted in the middle of the battlefield, making every vampire and werewolf instinctively shield their eyes, their arms raised to block the blinding light.

The light was like a sun that had exploded in front of them and before they knew it, the air and earth trembled, a strange energy amongst them.

Then, in the heart of the chaos...

A portal appeared.

At first it was just a golden light, but then, it widened and before any of them, both the werewolves and the vampires could comprehend what was happening, they came.

From within the portal, the sound of galloping hooves thundered and soon, horses leaped through the portal, their riders cloaked in armor, and wielding swords.

Arrows whistled through the air, piercing vampires before they could react, while another warrior atop a black stallion swung her blade, severing a vampire's head in one clean strike before moving onto the next.

The battlefield turned in an instant and all that the werewolf warriors could do was watch, breathless.

"Who are they?" Bryan asked himself as he could now look at the portal, knowing fully well that this was not the backup he was expecting.

And as he thought, a vampire lunged at him and he slayed the vampire with ease, despite his attention being elsewhere.

While Aiden, still standing in the heat of the battle, had looked at the portal, the blinding light not so blinding anymore, but what shocked him more was what he saw, his breath catching in his throat.

And then, one of the werewolf warriors, eyes wide with realization who had also noticed what he had noticed, spoke the words that sent a shockwave through the pack.

"Isn't that Luna Kira?"